Boss Pepper’s Scheme Unmasked!
Jymi Bolden Councilman David Pepper joked about a Republican pol's interpretation of his poll. Pollsters for Cincinnati City Councilman David Pepper, a Democratic candidate for mayor, happened to call State Rep. Tom Brinkman (R-Mount Lookout) to ask what he thought about certain politicians, including Brinkman himself. In an e-mail account of the polling questions, Brinkman…
Quality of Life Yoga
This column has begun telling the first-person stories of local people and their experiences with yoga. Here's a wonderful story from someone who wished to remain anonymous: Last January, when I first started attending yoga classes, I was depressed and felt like I was going nowhere in life. I was stressed out at work, I…
What “Dreams” Are Made Of
So Many Dreams (So Little Time), the new album from DW Project (the brainchild of composer/drummer Dan Walzer), is set for release on Sunday. Walzer and Co. celebrate the release at 7 p.m. with a performance at Chez Nora in Covington featuring several of the artists from the new disc. Dreams is the Project's third…
Scrooge for the holidays
Sandy Underwood Joneal Joplin (left) as Ebenezer Scrooge and Jared Joplin (right) as Young Scrooge are father and son in real life; while they act in the Playhouse's A Christmas Carol, daughter/sister Jennifer is onstage in Dayton in Crimes of the Heart. The Cincinnati Playhouse has more than Scrooge for the holidays (see below). PLAID…
Unqualified Arrogance
Look in the Mirror The unqualified arrogance of last week's letter from Michael Crowley was astounding ("Democracy Defeats Terrorism," issue of Dec. 1-7). For "an old man who knows his history," Crowley is remarkably full of cliche, chauvinism and ignorance. According to Crowley, "radical Islam — distinguished from Islam itself" is "barbaric," "bloody" and needs…
wine-inspired gift-giving
Whether you've been naughty or nice, there are lots of ways to celebrate the holidays with wine. In the spirit of giving, Uncorked is proud to offer its 2004 guide to wine-inspired gift-giving that's sure to please the beginner as well as the more advanced wine wonk on your holiday list. The Wine Lover's Companion:…
Brian Bruemmer – Langus
Brian Bruemmer – Langus · Muse — Showbiz Having only heard the most recent album, Absolution, I was eager to borrow this from a friend about two months ago. I'm still amazed by the full sound that these guys get out of a three-piece band. My favorite song at the moment is "Cave." Oh, and…
Cover Story: Forging a Weathered Soul
The recurring image of the sprinting slave is Joiner's way of depicting blacks' search for permanence. Brian Joiner is weird. Even for an artist. At the Cincinnati Art Museum, the 43-year-old painter was entirely unrecognizeable, even to people who know him. Joiner was clad foot-to-head in black: heavy-soled shoes, fleece pants with drawstrings at the…
Locals Only: : the quick and the dead-on
Katherine Sontag Paperback Q: How many ADD kids does it take to screw in a light bulb? A: Let's go ride bikes! After 10 minutes with Paperback the ADD joke above has new meaning. Images of a box of Marlboro's, three drinking-straw catapults, a paper napkin attempt at origami and countless off-the-subject interjections (like whether…
Tune in Tomorrow
On Dec. 1, the same day I recorded a commentary for National Public Radio's All Things Considered after a lengthy and anxious absence, reports announced Tavis Smiley's imminent network exit. Smiley and I embody much of what NPR tries attracting in talent and retains in listeners. Smiley leaving NPR and me trying to get back…
The Age of Reason?
A month after the election, I continue to sort through a variety of conflicting thoughts and emotions. I'm still not sure how Sen. John Kerry didn't win. I'm still not certain he didn't win Ohio. We consider America the world's model democracy, and yet we Americans put up with a ton of Election Day crap…
Music: Triumph of the Will
Will Kimbrough's windfall from working on Jimmy Buffett's recent No. 1 album will go back into furthering his burgeoning solo career. Although Will Kimbrough doesn't have a new album to shill on his current tour dates with Todd Snider, it doesn't mean he hasn't been busy. He produced and played on Snider's most recent album,…
News to Use
From Cincinnati With LoveTo celebrate Human Rights Day, Cincinnati Amnesty International hosts a letter-writing campaign to send holiday cards to prisoners of conscience around the world. Remember and honor those who are not free. The program is from 7-10 p.m. Friday at Kaldi's Coffeehouse on Main Street. Please take a canned good or new toy…
Living Out Loud: : Sex, Lies and 12 Egg Omelets
I arrive in Seattle, check in at the Days Inn and I'm feeling restless. It's pretty late at night, but I'm not ready for sleep yet. What I'm ready for is a drink. I step off the elevator, push the lobby door open to get out to the sidewalk and look across the street. I…
Ken Blackwell’s Disgraceful Election Machinations
Robert Webber Protesters rally Dec. 4 at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. Every significant decision that Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell made regarding the 2004 presidential election benefited George W. Bush. Blackwell was honorary co-chair of Bush's 2004 Ohio campaign and served as an election expert in the Florida fiasco that ensued after the…
Film: From Hunted to Hunter
Woodrow J. Hinton TV actress turned film star Jessica Biel joins the action babe trend with Blade: Trinity, playing a karate-chopping vampire slayer. New York City — Every good action film needs a babe. This isn't conjecture. It's cold, hard, movie studio fact. Look at the recent slate of action movies: Resident Evil, Dawn of…
Are You Being Served?
It took the balcony, two overflow rooms and the hall outside a standing-room-only Cincinnati City Council Chambers to hold all the people who turned out to say what they think of Mayor Charlie Luken's proposed 2005/2006 budget. In fact, as the clock struck 1 p.m., when the Finance Committee was set to meet, the line…
News: Cincinnati at Night: Veterinary Clinic
Jon Hughes/photopresse.com Dr. Randy Gage pulls an all-nighter along with his cohorts at Emergency Veterinary Clinic of Cincinnati. The city's pets and their owners are grateful. The clinic's windows burn bright long after the windows of other businesses nearby have darkened and closed for the night. Cars pull into the parking lot along Red Bank…
Bengals Should Spend Their Money on the Defense Instead of Rudi
Jerry Dowling One of pro football's "cherished myths" has come under the local microscope in the last week as the Bengals considered re-signing Rudi Johnson while their passing attack forged their toughest win in 14 years. The so-called myth concerns the necessity of rushing effectively to win in the NFL. It's interesting that the necessity…
News: A Mosaic Called ‘Community’
Sean Hughes/photopresse.com Lisa Haynes already knew the value of volunteering; now she has learned the power of art. Over-the-Rhine residents are taking pieces of the neighborhood's tainted history and reconstructing it into mosaic panels that convey a message of peace and unity. Residents from grade school kids to senior citizens spent two years constructing a…
Pay for Play
Gentle Readers: If there's ever been any doubt about how seriously I take my responsibilities, this column should lay 'em to rest. Not only am I sharing my advice-giving duties with a co-advisor this week — note the dual byline above — my co-advisor, Jill Corral, is paying to play. Last year I agreed to…
Upcoming Concerts with Bump, Trina Hamlin and More
Bump Bump Friday · The Mad Frog Detroit has forgotten more about music than most regional scenes in this country will ever know, so it's astonishing to read in some quarters that the city is making a resurgence as a respected scene because of the suddenly and impossibly raised profile of The White Stripes. Detroit…
Diner: Down the Rabbit Hole
For me the best dining experiences are those that transform or transport. I like a little spice with my fries and a bit of mystery with my manicotti. Brown Dog in Blue Ash does this on several levels. The restaurant is located in a strip mall parking lot, behind a Bob Evans. As you pull…
